No Two Days are Alike: Understanding the Complexities of the “Daily Rounds” of Returning Home

• In Event: Considering Success in the Reentry Process

Abstract

Over the past thirty years tremendous growth in the incarceration rate has resulted in more offenders being released from prison. In fact, high recidivism rates have led to an increase of reentry programs aimed to successfully reintegrate offenders from prison to society; however, once submerged into life on the outside ex-offenders develop a way of living that becomes meaningful, reasonable and normal to their standards. Therefore, an understanding of the ways in which ex-offenders navigate the “petty contingencies” (Goffman, 1961) of day-to-day living can serve as a catalyst to identifying key markers of success or failure during the reentry process. This paper examines the process by which individuals undergo re-entry while simultaneously confronting the complexities of life outside of prison.

Author

• Almethia C. Franklin, University of Illinois at Chicago